Letter: ‘Safe’ Oak Ridge schools must improve reading scores

Wednesday

Jul 31, 2013 at 6:05 PM

We need some facts about safety in our schools. The Tennessee Department of Education says Oak Ridge schools are all “safe.”

To the Editor:

We need some facts about safety in our schools. The Tennessee Department of Education says Oak Ridge schools are all “safe.” That means they are not persistently dangerous. Of course, there are times when situations must be controlled — and they are. To see the facts about discipline and much more, check: www.tennessee.gov/education/reportcard. There you will find that Oak Ridge has a much lower discipline percentage than the state average (6.6 percent vs 7.9 percent suspensions). That is outstanding!

With very similar demographics, Knox schools have much greater discipline problems (8.7 percent vs 6.6 percent Oak Ridge). A former teacher told me that when she was moved from elementary school to middle school, she found it was just her and the hormones in the classroom. That was too much. Our kids can be challenging as they grow — at home or at school.

Since safety is not a persistent problem, let’s move on to the schools’ bigger challenge: academics. Our ORHS is measurably the best in Tennessee considering its demographics. Our elementary and middle schools are improving, going from C to A in math gains from 2011 to 2012; however, with static and modest reading/literacy gains. 2013 grades will be reported next month.

Our biggest challenge is raising third grade reading proficiencies, now at 55 percent by state standards and about 33 percent by national (NAEP) standards. That means two-thirds of our students are not prepared for their grades 4-12 education journeys. This is expected to improve. Can’t wait!